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Getting addicts the help they need goal of Tsongas' legislation

By Rick Sobey, rsobey@lowellsun.com

Updated:
11/21/2015 06:37:40 AM EST

U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas listens to Bill Garr, CEO of Lowell House, during a visit to Saving Grace, a sober house for women run by Lowell House in Lowell's Highlands section. Watch video at lowellsun.com. SUN/JOHN LOVE

LOWELL -- It's a beautiful house that U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas has driven past countless times before.

On Friday, she finally walked through its doors, learning how this spacious residence in the Highlands is helping save women from the opiate epidemic.

"I've looked at this home for years and years, and never knew the great work that you were doing here," said Tsongas, visiting the Lowell House Inc.'s first sober house, Saving Grace, which opened in 2011.

"I commend you all for your work," she added, speaking to Lowell House representatives. "It's great to be here. It's very helpful to me to see what you do."

Saving Grace is a viable response to preventing chronic relapses by people who may otherwise fail to maintain sober living on their own, Lowell House CEO Bill Garr stressed to Tsongas on her visit.

U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas chats with Cathy Martell, a resident of the Saving Grace sober house who also works at the Sheehan Program in Tewksbury during her tour of Saving Grace. At rear is Sharon Roberts, director of the Sheehan Program and Christine Turner, director of all residential services.
SUN/JOHN LOVE

This sober house has a 70 percent success rate for people remaining sober, while usually only one in 30 people (3 percent) remain sober, Garr said.

"Many people don't have anywhere to go after detox, so they end up being lonely and relapse," he said. "We need more places like this for people to go and stay sober. In this house, everyone cares about one another."

"Women do really well when they can connect together," added Christine Turner, director of women's treatment for Lowell House. "They look out for each other and are welcoming to newcomers."

In addition to visiting the sober house for up to 11 women who have been in recovery for six months or longer, Tsongas was one of three legislators this week to introduce bipartisan legislation -- which would help cut red tape for substance-abuse treatment, and help fight the heroin epidemic across the country.

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The Lowell Democrat joined U.S. Reps. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican and Marcia Fudge, an Ohio Democrat, to file The Reforming and Expanding Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act. This legislation would increase flexibility in how existing federal funding can be used to combat the opioid epidemic.

"Expanding drug-treatment opportunities to incarcerated individuals has the potential to save lives and stabilize communities," Tsongas said. "I've heard directly from those on the front lines of this crisis that this bill would take a positive step towards preparing those behind bars for a more productive, healthy lifestyle upon release.

"It's a common-sense effort for funding treatment programs, and is in response to learning about all the challenges we have in our communities," she added.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) prohibits the use of grants from its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) for substance-abuse treatment services for people who are incarcerated. Under this legislation, these resources would be made available to individuals in both community-based and institutional settings.

Furthermore, under Medicaid's Institution for Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion, facilities with more than 16 beds are not eligible for reimbursement. As a result, the IMD exclusion prevents reimbursement for substance-abuse treatment for incarcerated individuals who are otherwise eligible for and enrolled in Medicaid. Under this bill, substance-abuse treatment provided in correctional institutions would become eligible for reimbursement.

As a member of the Bipartisan Taskforce to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, Tsongas recently met with numerous experts, including district attorneys, police chiefs and more to discuss the opioid epidemic. She continued these talks at Saving Grace in the Highlands on Friday.

"For us to be living together here is great," a resident of Saving Grace, who wished to remain anonymous, told Tsongas. "It would have been much harder alone.

"This is not a flop house like some might think," the resident added. "We all learn how to live individually, but at the same time, the emotional support is great."

The ages of the residents in the sober house range from 18 to 73. Many of the residents have lived there for five years when it opened.

"They can stay here forever if they want to," Garr said. "There are thousands of people in the community in treatment, and they're in need of sober housing. We hope to develop additional sober houses long-term."

By this time next year, Garr said Lowell House would like to open up Zack's House, in memory of 21-year-old Lowell native Zachary Gys who died of a heroin overdose in 2013.

The house would be for men between the ages of 18 to 26.

"If you know of any resources, we'd love to hear about them," Garr told Tsongas.

"And if you hear of resources and need our help figuring out how to access them, we can help in that way, too," Tsongas responded. "Don't be shy."

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